True the Vote, a nonpartisan voters’ rights and election integrity organization, submitted over 364,000 elector challenges for all 159 counties. Georgia law allows a voter to challenge the eligibility of other voters within the same county, so long as probable cause exists.
In a press release, True the Vote explained that the challenge preemptively prevents illegal votes, as opposed to a reactive challenge to ballots cast. They added that once a ballot is cast, it is near-impossible to match a ballot to its voter.
“[The challenge] represents one of the few vehicles that states have to update voter rolls ahead of an election without compromising any legitimate voters’ right[s] to have their vote counted,” stated the press release.
According to True the Vote, their registry research discovered over 124,000 registered voters who no longer live in the county on record, and over 240,000 voters who no longer live in Georgia.
The organization received support from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who stated publicly that he applauds True the Vote’s initiative.
“I’ve said since Election Day that I must follow the law in the execution of our elections, and I’ve also encouraged Georgians to report any suspected problems for my office to investigate,” stated Raffensperger. “Though federal law restricts our ability to update our voter registration lists, the Elector Challenge is a vehicle under our law to ensure voter integrity. I support any effort that builds faith in our election system that follows the proper legal procedure.”
Raffensperger hasn’t supported legal challenges to the results of the presidential election thus far.
The Georgia Star News reached out to True the Vote spokespersons for clarification on their challenge’s impact for the general and upcoming runoff election. True the Vote didn’t respond by press time.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
Photo “People Voting” by Wyofile Wyofile. CC BY 2.0.
